Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-08-26
Death of Matthew Cooke.


Death of Matthew Cooke.
Matthew Cooke, late Chief Executive
Horticultural Officer of the State, died in
this city yesterday after lingering illness,
aged SO. Mr. Cooke was a self-made man.
and worthy and useful citizen, who con-
tributed immeasurably to the sum of horti-
cultural knowledge and to public informa-
ton concerning economic entomology as
applied 20 the determination of insect
pests destructive of our fruits Mr..
Cooke was the first person IN the State
to point out with alarming emphasis
the great danger to which our fruit inter-
ests were exposed by the assaults of these
pests. He was the first to suggest practical
remedies for them. He was the first and
only man to make a collection of insect
pests, and exhibit them in all their stages
of development, which he did, throughout
the State, greatly to the benefit of the pub
lie and its education upon the subject Be-
coming more and more interested in the
matter, he diligently studied the natural
history Of the several pests, and evolved
many and excellent methods of battling
against them, and of preventing their
spread. He aroused such interest in
tHS hlat-tI ludL lne otate, uHuer
his advice, and that of others
who were enlisted by his researches
and energy, passed laws to encourage the
destruction of the pests and to prevent
their spread. Mr.. Cooke was made the
first chief executive officer of the State
Horticultural Board, and faithfully dis
charged the high trust in the face of NO.
lent opposition, stubborn prejudices and
lamentable ignorance. He wrote and
published a valuable illustrated work
upon insect pests injurious to fruit,
and won for it high praise
and acknowledgment from the fore
most chronological and microscopical
societies and sayants of the world He is
sued many pamphlets on practical ento-
mology and fruit protection, and was the
author Of a large number of highly valua-
BILE articles on these subjects in the RECORD
UNION, which for all the years of its ac-
tivity never found it necessary or desirable
to reject anything Mr.. Cooke wrote on
these important topics. He was not his
own friend. He was poor business man
ager; his public interests left him no
time to look well after his own interests,
and he several times disastrously failed in
business and died poor, after long and ago.
niZing suffering from acute rheumatism.
The horticultural interests of California
that had profited so much by this humble
mans labors and researches, and in whose
behalf he studied and wrote, and lectured
and labored and travelled so industriously,
owe it 10 themselves, now that they are
rich and prosperous, to offer some material
tribate 70 his memory, that may prove of
practical value to his family whose inter-
ests he sacrificed for the public veal
.
THY CITY FIREMES.-The members of
the Sacramento Fire Department, who are
also employees at the railroad shops, we're
yesterday notified that they would not here
after be permitted to retain their positions
at the shops, and also in the Fire Depart
ment. Complaint is made that some of
the men who occupy both positions are
frequently unable to return to their work
the next day after a fire, being too tired"
and this IS not satisfactory to the shop
foremen; hence the present order upon
the subject. The positions held by these
men i'll the Fire Department are as extra
men, ana for which service they are paid
so per month and the foremen $50 1t is
presumed that none of them will leave
their jobs IN the shops 10 retain the work
of fire " ladies"
A PROPOSED RAILwAY.-Articles of incor-
poration have been filed with the Secretary
of State Of the Oakland, Alameda and
Laundry Farm Railway Company, to con-
struct a standard-gauge railway for the
transportation of passengers and freight
The road commences at Laundry Farm
runs southeasterly to a point near Mills
Seminary, thence southwesterly to point
ON the bay of San Francisco in the city of
Alameda, with intermediate line to the
"a IL. IL =.
mated length of the road is five miles.
Woodland, F. ]. Moffitt, II. T. Smith, E. G.
Mathews, J. H. Costigan. Principal place
of business, San Francisco. The officers
of the corporation are g.: J. H. Woodland,
President II. T. Smith, Treasurer; J. II.
Costigan, Secretary.
THOSE HOSPITAL CLAINs-The State
Board Of Examiners were in session yes
terday and passed upon a large number of
bills Several drainage claims were con-
sidered bat no action taken. They meet
again to-day and will pass upon the
drainage claims of Nye and others. The
hospital claim of Eolo county was objected
TO upon three grounds. First, they have
not ten INDECENT aged poor within the hos
pital second, books have not been kept in
accordance with the Act of 1883; third, they
have not $751; 600 in real property. The at
torneys representing Yolo county will
carry the matter up to the Supreme Court
claiming that neither of these objections
/are tenable under the State Constitution.
A NEVADA COUNTY M1NE.-Articles OF
incorporation were yesterday filed of the
Grass Valley Gold Bank Mining, Milling
o,l n-o;r Tu1rol Tor,na,,- 70 oarr,- ~,
the business of mining and milling gold
and silver bearing rock, for cutting and
discovering lodges of precious metals. drain
ing mines tor royalty, etc, along the line Of
the tunnel of the Gold Bank Group in
Nevada and Grass Valley Mining Districts
Principal place of business, Nevada City
Capital stock, 81 600 600, divided into 100, 00e
shares Of the par value of $40 each. Di.
rectors-C. r. Clark +. 0. Tompkins, i. n
Burns and l. J. Role, of Nevada City; VIM
George and John E. Carter, of Grass Valley
FOUND A New BAR.-The steamer ModoC
left for San Francisco with a light load
about 10 a. n, yesterday, but about oppo
site the gas-works got out of the channe
and was soon hard and fast on the sand
bar which used to be troublesome in former
years, but has not been heard from before
this season. she renamed packing ano
filling and twisting around until about
P NJ, when she got her head pointed up
stream, and came back to make new anC
more successful start.
POLICE CoURT.-In the Police Court yes
terday All Sam and three other Celestials
arrested for refusing to give their tru,
name. to the Assessor, were fined S. each
......Al.N Sing, similarly charged, forfeited
his deposit jim was fined $40 70
disturbing the peace......Ah Sam, for carry
ing concealed weapon, was fined $15, o
Is DAYS in the city prison.. VIM. Crowle.
and Pat Haggerty, arrested for having beer
drunk, were discharged.
The GREAT NAVIGATING SHARK.-J. NJ
Bellrude arrived in Sacramento last even
ing with the monster man-eating shark
and it will be placed on exhibition here 70
o few days. The shark was killed off Mon
terey few months since, and has bee
mounted in such perfect manner as to pre-
sent an entirely natural and ife-like ap
pearance. 1t is the largest known speci
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